The death toll from Hong Kong’s Wang Fuk Court fire has climbed to 159, making it the world’s deadliest residential blaze since 1980.
HONG KONG: The death toll from Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades has risen to 159.
Police confirmed the figure after completing searches of all affected housing blocks at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po.
Commissioner Joe Chow described the information as an “interim wrap-up” following the completion of building searches.
He cautioned that the toll may still be revised as officers had found “suspected human bones” requiring forensic testing.
Of the 159 bodies found, 140 have been preliminarily identified.
The dead include at least 91 women and 49 men.
The youngest victim was a one-year-old baby and the oldest was 97.
The blaze took hold last Wednesday and engulfed the residential complex.
It is now the world’s deadliest residential building fire since 1980. – AFP
